Hide and Seek
by Seanait
Summary: Picard and the Enterprise crew is struck by a light and changed in many ways... [writer's blockage]
1. Lights, Camera, Action!

okay... this is a new fanfic area for me and until i get used to playing with the TNG characters, chapters might be few and far between... bear with me, they will make for an interesting story, i promise! i'm just not used to using these guys... be warned, the people might be a little OOC... but i try not too... if u want proof read my Stargate stories... anyway... OH! disclaimer...

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I dont own any of the Enterprise crew... or the ship itself... yeah, i know... anyway..._ On to the story!

Hide and Seek

* * *

"Ensign, take us out of here. Warp seven. Engage." The ship turned away from the imposing planet and jumped into hyperspace. The crew sighed. They had been conducting a peace treaty between three nations who had been at war for at least three hundred years and customs were so tight that if one party made the wrong kind of sigh war would break out. It had been tense, but now they could relax.

"Number One?"

"Yes sir?" Riker answered his captain. He turned toward Picard.

"Go rest." Will smiled. No need to ask twice.

"Yes sir. And while you're at it, you should too sir." Sighing, the captain nodded.

"Data? Think you could handle the bridge on less than a skeleton crew?" The android turned in his seat to look at his commanding officers.

"I am more than able to perform this function. If you wish to give the members on the bridge a rest, I am willing to take over for them." That was enough. Picard smiled and nodded.

"But at a second's notice of danger, you will get myself and Commander Riker. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Picard smiled again, stood up, and looked at his crew on the bridge.

"You all deserve a well earned rest. Thank you for all of your help. Now go relax! That is a direct order." He looked around at his smiling officers. "Mr. Data, you have the whole bridge." At once, everyone walked off the bridge and Data was left alone to man the Enterprise.

Deanna joined Riker on the way back to his quarters. "Well, that was a stressful last week and a half." He raised his eyebrows.

"No kidding." She laughed.

"Oh poor Will," she said as she patted his back. They had reached his quarters and she gave him a brief hug. "Good night."

"Good night Deanna." He stepped into his room and the door shut with a hiss behind him. Troi, feeling incredibly tired, checked on the status of the rest of the ship then headed off to her quarters. By the time she had gotten there, Worf, Riker, Picard, and Dr. Crusher were all asleep. Amazing.

Deanna walked over to the replicator asked for some warm milk, took a drink, and snuggled up in bed. Letting the tension flow out of her body, she fell asleep quickly.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lt. Commander Data still manned the bridge not getting tired or annoyed – he was an android, of course he didn't. Scanning for signs of trouble, he found none. That was unusual aboard the Enterprise, he thought. He recalled the many previous occasions how the ship was on the edge of imminent destruction to be saved last second by a new found cure or way out. Data attempted a small smile.

Seeing nothing odd, Data whistled out Frères Jacques. It got him practicing human behaviors. Humans were so strange, yet so alike him that he couldn't understand it. Truth be told, it confused him a bit. Ah, thoughts for another time.

Back in Troi's quarters, she rustled around and shifted. Yet she didn't notice the strange pale glow coming from the doorway. Apparently nor did anyone else.

Data, still whistling, did happen to see a strange light and before he could act it flashed brightly – overloading his optical sensors. Not only that, but he fell, stunned.

Deanna stilled and her hand dropped over the side. She was now unconscious. If you were to walk around the rest of the ship, you would see that all the crew members were now lying on the floor or hunched over a console unconscious.

A second flash of light changed them all.

* * *

9/2/05 


	2. Findings

okay, so maybe i lied... i wrote like three chapters while i pulled an all-nighter last night/this morning... it may (again) be OOC since i wrote this between 3-6:30am... like i said, bear with me, PLEASE!

* * *

Captain Picard awoke and had the strangest sort of ache. Every bone, muscle, and ligament pounded. Why? He hadn't done anything especially strenuous last night. He checked his mental log, no nothing that would amount to this. He sat up awkwardly and stretched yawning. His teeth snapped shut making that clicking sound. He looked around warily. Something was different. 

He couldn't place what **it **was yet, but he had every intention of finding out. Slowly standing up, he fell onto his face. Something stuck into the floor. Picard waved his arms for balance and felt a pull. That startled him a bit. Looking at his arms, he saw that they were no longer arms, but wings. Great dark brown wings were spread out to each side of him. Clearly unsettled, he readjusted his wings and peered at his feet. Needless to say, they were bright yellow claws meant for grasping.

He looked back up onto his bed and saw what made him fall. Picard had been tangled up in his Starfleet uniform. Smiling wryly, he wobbled off through the door of his quarters and made it to the hallway. Seeing the way clear, Jean Luc tried a crash course in flying. He hit the ceiling, the ground and every panel possible. It hurt, but it sure was fun! Once he got control of steering and flying, the captain took off to survey the ship. He first head to his first officer's quarters.

He landed outside the door and stared at the console. It looked like the only way that he was getting in was to hit the button. Picard flew up and rammed his feet into the pad. The tell-tale ring activated. The captain ruffled his feathers and made himself look handsome. From inside came a muffled howl and the door opened. The yellow eyes scanned the room from any signs of a dangerous first officer.

"Riker?" he tried to say, but it came out "Sccree?" Another muffled happy yelp sounded and Picard honed in on it. Into the light came a rather large dog, a Great Dane actually. This dog was a dark color with a reddish tint. Startled, the bird pulled back and flew to a vantage point. The Dane's nose pointed at something behind Picard. Slowly he turned around and there stood a bald eagle.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Since calling out by voice didn't work, Riker tried to do what telepaths did, call psychically.

"Hello?" he called out. The eagle cocked its head his way. It looked back into the mirror and shuddered. Will felt for it, he'd gone through the same experience about five seconds ago.

"Craw?" the bird questioned. Riker shook his head. This eagle smelled like his captain, but was it? Riker shook his head as best he could. He was still trapped in his uniform and feeling like an ass. The eagle noticed this and hopped down onto Riker's shoulders and unzipped the back. The dog wiggled out and wagged his tail happily. The eagle fluttered back to its watch point and continued to look down at Riker.

"Sir?" Will tried again with his mind. It was clear he heard it because the eagle turned around sharply to look the canine in the eye. The head bobbed up and down. The dog let out a snort of relief. "Sir, try speaking with your mind." The eagle cocked its head and stared at the dog below him again.

"Hello?" The Great Dane Riker smiled the other way a dog could.

"Hello sir. What happened to us?" The eagle shook its head, he had no idea. "Do you think it's just us?"

"I… I don't know; let us go find the senior staff." The eagle flew to the door again and waited there for his friend.

"Want a lift sir?" Will asked with a hint if amusement in his voice. He was intrigued by what his captain had become. The Picard-Eagle shot a look at him.

"No thanks number one. I'll fly thank you." Will shook his head and continued through the door. "Number One, we can't even use the computer anymore can we," the captain addressed.

"Computer?" No answer. "Guess not." Were he a human now, Will would have grinned like he was up to something. "I want to see Geordi and Worf." Picard gave a mental chuckle and they continued on.


	3. The Talker

**thanks to: **_nightpheonix (i know u can!), HecateTriformis, zara08, and sn855850_ for reviewing! _pokes out from under bolder_ so u guys think its good?

Please introduce _drum roll_ Geordi and Data!

* * *

The large dog and bald eagle made it to Worf's room finally. This time, Picard let his first officer do the ringing of the doorbell and he set down onto the Great Dane. A big cat's growl came through the door and the two let themselves in. Worf had hit the pad to open the door for them. There he stood, next to the door with big, gleaming teeth bared. 

Picard flew out of reach of the huge cat. A sandy lion with a dark mane stood facing Riker. The captain left them to duke it out. In the meantime, one of his feathers was out of line.

"Worf!" The lion stopped and its lips wavered. "Worf, it's me, Commander Riker." The lion took a step back and released its baring lips. The klingon, looking ashamed, licked his lips. At the moment, Riker's Dane looked more menacing than Worf's lion.

"Are you two settled, Mr. Worf? Will?" Picard asked from his perch. The two ground mammals looked at him.

"Yes sir," Riker answered. "Worf, use your mind to speak. And stop licking your chops." Worf stopped in mid-lick.

"Licking my what, sir?" he asked not knowing Earth terms. Will chuckled.

"Nothing, it means licking your lips. Come on, we have to get to the senior officers." Worf nodded. His thick mane shook with his head. Picard took a quick ride on Worf out the door then flew off.

Next were Geordi's quarters. Riker, Worf, and Picard had been betting on what La Forge would be.

"How about… a bird, like yourself sir?" the first officer said. Picard mumbled a little, not really taking part in this. "Worf?" Riker turned to the head of security for an answer.

"I could see Commander La Forge as a wolf, a noble beast in your culture," he said solemnly. Riker nodded and smirked in his dog like way.

"If he is, we could have a problem for dominance Number One," Picard said with humor. He wanted to know how this was caused first off, but the captain had to assemble his senior staff to figure out the problem.

"Mr. Worf, once we reach Mr. La Forge's quarters, could you report to the bridge and bring back Mr. Data. We'll meet you in the observation lounge. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

Once again, Riker did the honors of beeping the door. Inside, they heard a small thud. Riker cocked his head and looked at Worf and Picard. "Geordi?" Will called out.

The door opened. They all looked at each in puzzlement.

"Hello!" a nasally voice screeched. A flutter of wings was made out. "Who's it?" The three were surprised to hear a real voice even as odd as it was.

"Mr. La Forge?" Picard said calmingly. "Are you in here?"

"Captain?" the voice said again. The sound of wings settled next to Jean Luc. The eagle turned to look at what had landed near him. A beautiful royal blue macaw sat on the lion's back next to the captain. The parrot tilted its head. "Captain?"

The eagle nodded. "It seems you are the only one who can speak here," conveyed Riker. The blue macaw nodded its blue head. The brown eyes darted around.

"Are we sitting on Worf sir?" the macaw asked out loud. The eagle had a smile in his eye as he nodded the affirmative. "Sorry there."

"It is… no problem," Worf answered. The macaw peered at Riker's dog.

"Commander?" he guessed again. The dog also nodded. "What the hell happened to us?"

"I don't know, but nice color Geordi. Blue really suits you," Will said seriously. Geordi tilted his head in a "come-on" sort of way. "No, honestly." The smaller bird rolled its eyes.

"We're going to find Counselor Troi, Dr. Crusher, and Worf is getting Commander Data," Picard told the newcomer. Worf trotted out the door leaving the two birds in minor chaos.

Riker chuckled again. "You two can set down on my back." Out of Geordi's quarters he went. Next stop was Deanna, then into the turbolift for the infirmary.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Worf stepped into the turbolift and realized that he could not activate it. Luckily, he had found one of the other crew members that also had a speaking ability. He thanked her for her help. After deck 9, the talking ensign left the turbolift. He continued on his way to the bridge.

He had thoughtfully sat down in the back of the turbolift, thinking about his predicament. Barely after he had begun thinking, the turbolift arrived at his destination. He trotted out onto the bridge and looked at the captain's seat, where Data had been sitting the night before.

Passed out on the floor was a white cheetah with yellow eyes.


	4. Wake Up!

hehehe, **thanks** youguys for reviewing! on to chapter 4...

OH! excuse me (all you hard-core trekkies) if my access codes are all wrong... if you know what they are PLEASE TELL ME! lol, it would be greatly appreciated.

* * *

The others had gotten to Deanna Troi's rooms. Geordi had been practicing his flying and was crashing into things. Picard tried to help him, but he kept saying that he had gotten it.

Of course, then he flew into another wall.

Riker had stood by and chuckled. It didn't seem that hard. You flap your wings and go. So Geordi had invited Will to fly. Riker turned down the offer. Finally, they had made it to her quarters. Again, the bell was rung. Geordi already had an impression of his voice down pat for this occasion.

"Computer, override entry – chief engineer, voice authorization La Forge, 3, Omega, 9." The doors opened. "Ta da!" he said in his voice.

"Nice work Geordi," Riker approved mentally. The two birds and a dog walked inside. When the doors shut behind them, the room was incredibly dark. They couldn't see a thing.

"Computer, lights," La Forge commanded. The lights when up and they saw a black panther laid out on Deanna's bed.

Riker's eyes widened and he ran over to her and nuzzled her. When that didn't work, Will looked at his avian comrades and licked the panther. Picard was faintly amused and if Geordi had lips to smile with, it would have been there.

"Uhh…" the panther complained. "My body." Deanna woke to find a Great Dane in her face and two large birds looking greatly amused. "Hey there pup," she crooned. Troi stretched out a hand, wanting to pet the dog. Instead a paw with retractable claws went forth, she startled.

The black panther jumped up and looked around, at herself, at the animals in her room. A bald eagle looking patient, a royal blue macaw looking amused, a Great Dane in her face looking worried, and herself! She was a large cat of some sort.

"Counselor?" Geordi spoke out loud in his imitated voice. The large cat spooked again at the sudden noise. "It's me, Geordi, the bald eagle is Captain Picard, and the dog in your face is Will Riker. Are you alright?" She nodded slowly. Deanna noticed her tail for the first time. She swished it back and forth.

"Huh, I could get used to this I suppose," she mentioned offhand. She cocked her head for a moment. "I... I can still sense you!" Troi clambered off her bed and rubbed up against Will and made her way to the birds. "Captain, do you know what's happened yet?"

"No… but I was hoping to find out when Lieutenant Worf finds Data." Picard thought for a moment. "Is this a localized event counselor?" he asked.

"No sir, everyone on board is one form of animal. Specifically, an Earth animal."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Worf felt confused. When it came to Commander Data, it was not unusual. Still, how could an android be transformed into a living animal? It boggled his mind. At any rate, orders were orders.

He carefully scooped the "android" up onto his back and carried him into the turbolift. The ensign had programmed it to go to the observation lounge when it sensed life forms in it again. Off he went to the observation lounge wiith one unconscious Lieutenant Commander Data.

When the time came for him to disembark, Data had woken up.

Data growled, as was his primary instinct.

* * *

i have a feeling that deanna is completely ooc... but thats for you to tell me!

9/7/05


	5. I Found You

thanks all for reviewing! i still think its a bit... (covers mouth) right, i was told to stop worrying about it... (worries in head) :-)

* * *

Worf carelessly shrugged the once limp cheetah off his back and spun to face him. The klingon knew that if Data retained his abilities, then Worf would never beat him. Maybe disable… but not like this. Not in this primal rage. The white cheetah bowed down in aggression, ready to strike. Realizing that Data was probably a lot stronger than he was and faster – the logical choice would have been to fight because Worf was heavier. He also had orders to bring Commander Data to the lounge. So he compromised.

The giant lion swiped at the white cat's nose and ran. The Data-Cheetah rubbed its nose trying to get rid of the irritation. Snarling, he took off after the dark yellow mass of hair as fast as he could. To his animal instincts, it was life and death to the cheetah.

Wolf went barreling into an opening turbolift and pressed a few buttons to get it going. He clearly expected Data to beat him to the intended destination, but it was a noble attempt to get away from the wild cat. On the deck of the observation lounge, Worf sped down the hallway expecting the captain and his detail to find him. He loped softly on the padded floors, watching, wary. He clearly expected the other cat to appear out of nowhere. Data had a, sometimes, rather annoying way of doing that. Sensing movement, Worf stopped in the shadows and crouched down. He made himself comfortable, but ready to fight if need be. The warrior heard some chatting, mentally of course, and a loud voice floating around. Worf stopped and listened, that voice sounded an awful like Commander La Forge. A loud crash came followed by a general chuckle. Worf snorted and exposed himself in the light.

"Hello captain," he prepared. Stopping, Worf realized that there was no one around him. Feeling again dumbfounded, the klingon looked around and walked towards the observation lounge. He tread lightly, Data was a tricky one. Suddenly, he whipped around snarling silently. Worf had sworn he had heard something behind him, but then again he was still getting used to the highly sensitive ears and whiskers. Scanning the area and finding nothing, the king of the large cats started back in his original direction.

Directly in front of his nose less than an inch away was one **very** unhappy and pissed off Commander Data. Worf froze; he was in deep shit if Data could move that fast and he couldn't hear him. The cheetah grinned and Worf knew he was in for a fight.

Growling loudly, Worf took a large paw to his friend's sensitive muzzle and left quite a mark. He backed off to get space and watched Data scratch at his nose in pain and anger. The fast cat set his yellow eyes on the dark lion's throat and attacked. Although Worf had the larger body, which meant more weight to throw around, Data had the leaner and quicker frame. If the android possessed all of his super-human qualities, Worf was going to find out very soon.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Once into the turbolift with the gracious help of Geordi, the panther, dog, parrot, and eagle set off to the infirmary to retrieve Dr. Crusher. Everyone they met had been one sort of an animal and occasionally they came across an aquatic animal. Actually, they had found a bass laying on the floor flopping around helplessly on their travels. Picard had carefully scooped it up and flown it to the nearest sink. The bird had been too large to fly through the door. After all, with a wingspan of seven and a half feet, the only place he could truly stretch was in ten-forward or the observation lounge. So he had given the fish to Deanna and she strode in through the door and to the bathroom. Geordi had asked for a bowl of water and in the bass went. Now they carried it in a bucket. The crew member had swum around unhappily in his new water terrain. Lieutenant Dave Beacly swam in so many circles; he got himself dizzy and almost passed out.

Once in the infirmary, the crew set down the lieutenant and sought out their doctor. Riker used his excellent nose, Troi used her amazing hearing, Picard had his excellent eyesight, and La Forge bumbled around hoping to help as best he could.

"Doctor Crusher? Doctor!"

"Beverly!" Troi hollered out.

"What?" An elegant red-tailed hawk flew out and gracefully landed on the countertop next to La Forge.

"Sir! I think I found her!" Geordi called out mentally, seeing as that would reach farther than voice. The doctor looked the large blue parrot standing next to her. That same parrot inspected her back.

"Geordi?" she asked confused. He nodded and cocked his head.

"Interesting look don't you think?" Beverly assumed a gleam in her eyes that told him she was chuckling. "Glad to see you find it so funny doc," he said with a mock serious tone.

"You're right, I do, but I love the color." La Forge tilted his head in a sort of way that said "well-that's-funny."

"Good job Mr. La Forge," the captain approved. "I see you've found our resident hawk."


	6. Fight

_sniffle_ I'm not very happy... i didnt get any (save one) reviews last chapter! i know 812 looked at it and 1 review! _sniffle_ i might as well not post if no one likes it...

anyway... i hope this one gets better results... enjoy!

* * *

Ruffling her feathers elegantly, in a way Picard never could, Crusher looked thoughtfully at all of them.

"So I assume I'm not the only one this has happened to then."

"You assume correctly doctor. We are about to have a meeting in the observation lounge. We're meeting Worf and Data there," Riker explained patiently. She nodded.

"I've been trying to get the computer to access brain waves – for commands, instead of verbal commands," the good doctor told the group as they left sick bay. Georgi was immediately interested.

"How's it been coming?" he asked. Beverly shook her head.

"Not so well unfortunately. Without Data and your help, I can't get the computer to do much of anything right now." She paused. "Well, especially Data's help since he's the only one who probably stayed human… normal. He can access the computers. We can't." Picard chuckled and added his twopence.

"Ah, but doctor, one of the advantages of having a macaw with you is that it can speak and mimic voices." Beverly nodded seeing his point. "It's a handy animal to have," the captain added offhand. Once again, animal expressions were inadequate as LaForge meant to smile in pride. The band consisting of avians, a feline, and a canine strolled down the Enterprise's hallways. Riker and Deanna were chatting it up while Picard, Georgi, and Crusher were fascinated with what could make a whole ship this way.

"Somehow our DNA has been transplanted with DNA of an animal, apparently one that matches our personality the best." At this point, Deanna and Will listened in. "The captain here is loyal, noble, and calm just as what the bald eagle stood for. Will – you are also loyal, but more playful and serious when necessary. Deanna – you can be secretive and have a wilder side."

"Obviously," the first commander interjected. They all chuckled a bit and, if Troi could have, she was blushing. Beverly continued.

"Georgi – you have a chatty side, useful, and very handsome." Crusher smiled at her last comment. Jean Luc continued Beverly's assessment.

"And doctor, you are fierce, stubborn, but you do know when it's time to quit. And apparently redheaded." Interrupting the peaceful moment, a loud exchange of snarls and roars was heard from ahead. Looking at each other, the quintuplet took off to the source of the problem.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Worf could hold his own against many opponents, but none like Data: a man-machine with superpowers. Never in his wildest dreams would he want to get on the receiving end of a mad Data, luckily they were on the same side. Most of the time.

This was **not** one of those times.

The almost albino cheetah had started to snarl and roar before attacking. Worf responded in kind, but Data pounced on his back and started to tear away at his flesh. Really pissed off, Worf rolled over and crushed the smaller cat. Although Data appeared to be faster than the average cheetah, he was now made of organic tissue and therefore mortal. Growling in pain, Data wormed his way out and face the large lion again.

"I do not want to hurt you!" Worf cried out in vain. Data could not hear him even if he wanted to. Against, the Data-Cheetah went to pounce, but Worf reared up and knocked him down. The lion pinned him there and the other cat clawed at Worf's legs and undersides in rage of being beat. Finally unable to withstand the pain, the once-klingon lion let Data up and stumbled back. Bearing his massive canines, Worf puffed up and tried to look big so hopefully the android wouldn't try that again.

Instead, the white cheetah did the same and roared loudly. Worf was almost injured beyond repair at this point – the claws had done a significant amount of damage. Trying one last gambit, Worf decided to attack first. He feinted left, then right, then left and pounced on the left side of Data's feline body. Totally thrown off, the cheetah had begun to move to the right and had started back to the left side. For his pains, Data got four massive claws and a large body to go with it on top of him. Now, the smaller cat was pinned down in a way that he couldn't get at Worf.

"Worf!" a friendly voice called out.

"Sir," he said in his formal tone back.

"Are you okay?" Riker's voice sounded back.

"Yes sir."

"No he's not!" Worf sighed – Dr. Crusher.

"I am fine doctor." The Data-Cheetah snarled and spat at the newcomers and Riker backed off from the scene. Growling menacingly, Troi sauntered to the duo and scratched Data's ear. Whining, he rubbed it. When Picard gave her the 'you-have-three-heads' look, she merely cocked her head in a semi-shrug.

"It was the only way to keep him quiet."


End file.
